Investing.com - U.S. stocks ended Thursday mixed to lower after investors bought and sold equities while digesting hit-or-miss earnings, though upbeat data out of the labor market cushioned the market.
At the close of U.S. trading, the Dow 30 rose 0.20%, the S&P 500 index fell 0.14%, while the NASDAQ Composite index fell 0.40%.
A mixed bag of earnings sent stock indices rising and falling on Thursday.
Online travel agency Priceline.com Incorporated (NASDAQ:PCLN) reported a 36% increase in first-quarter profits, which drew applause, though still, expectations for bookings to slow dampened the stock.
Elsewhere, automaker Tesla Motors Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) stocks dipped after the company's outlook for the second quarter disappointed investors.
Technology stocks came under selling pressure earlier, as investors viewed the sector as too frothy and sidestepped momentum stocks, Internet equities especially, which brought the Nasdaq down.
Earlier this week, Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) shares plunged after a six-month lock-up period expired for early investors that had restricted the sale of roughly 82% of the company's stock.
Good news out of the labor market drew some applause and allowed for sideways trading.
The Department of Labor reported that number of individuals filing for unemployment assistance last week fell by 26,000 to 319,000 from the previous week’s revised total of 345,000.
Analysts had expected jobless claims to fall by 20,000 to 325,000.
Leading Dow Jones Industrial Average performers included AT&T Inc (NYSE:T), up 1.80%, Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS), up 1.63%, and Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS), up 1.23%.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average's worst performers included Merck & Company Inc (NYSE:MRK), down 1.82%, UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH), down 1.31%, and Chevron Corporation (NYSE:CVX), down 0.90%.
European indices, meanwhile, finished higher.
After the close of European trade, the DJ Euro Stoxx 50 rose 1.33%, France's CAC 40 rose 1.37%, while Germany's DAX rose 0.90%. Meanwhile, in the U.K. the FTSE 100 rose 0.63%.